If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Why not just tax gas highly?

Here in Europe gas is taked REALLY heavly threfore we all drive fuel efficent desels and gasoline cars if the USA did the same then everyone would be forced to drive efficent cars and trucks. If something is cheap people waste it!!!

Why not just tax gas highly?

The problem with that for the US is that transportation is such a huge part of our economy it would cause an instant recession (rising fuel costs certainly played a role in the current situation). We don't have the network of mass transit that Europe has in place (we can't even fund our miserable excuse for national passenger rail fully) and we generally have greater distances to cover.

Plus a tax like that would invariably hit the people who can least afford it the hardest...the people with older cars who cannot afford something more efficient.

A larger gas-guzzler tax on new cars would be a step in the right direction, which could be used to fund incentives for purchasing more efficient, cleaner vehicles.

It'd also be nice to have a more honest accounting of the real cost of fuel in the US...include the Defence Department budget in the price, for example.

Why not just tax gas highly?

I think a gas tax would be a good idea. However, I also think you need both a gas tax and a vehicle tax. The gasoline tax would cover vehicles already in the market place--new to used to used again, etc. The vehicle (gas guzzler) tax, would be used to punish people for freely and knowingly making a bad choice. You should be able to buy whatever vehicle you want, but if you do, there are consequences of your choice.

Just like putting people in jail for "bad" behavior, it is no different with buying a gas guzzler: you are causing health care costs to rise, insurance costs to rise (through global warming-related weather patterns), soldiers to die, etc.

How about a $2000 tax for every highway mpg below 40 mpg? And then, as previously posted, recycle that money for tax incentives for high-mileage vehicles, and maybe even for low income folks to get over the hump and move up to a new fuel efficient vehicle.

Why not just tax gas highly?

i like the idea of a guzzler tax and a sipper tax, but also something like Japan.

they increase the registration every year. in time the old cars are so expensive to register people buy new ones. this is a good way of getting old clunkers off the road, and then the newer cars tend to be generally better on gas & smog.

Why not just tax gas highly?

Why not just tax gas highly?

There is no reason for any new tax on gasoline as proposed her by steve. The american people dont deserve this harsh treatment. We pay out of our pockets to much money in taxes ( now) as It is. The refiners had 349 refiners plants 12 yrs ago, now we have 129 ( only ) and the excuse we cant put out enough fuel to keep up with the demand. Is going shopping, going to work, go to appointments a luxury? No. As we in this country, dont have rail service, on a large scale for moving people to work daily. Some of the bigger cities do, but not like europe. We lack good public transportation. Therefore we need our cars and the private transportation afforded by them. Is the car a luxury? Oh, course not. Under these conditions any one that would thing so is a full blown fool. We need to stop taken excuses from the refiners and the Government that seems to support these companies. 3 dollars a gallon is a joke. Also when you really stop to think -the gas is really 6 dollars a gallon, because all your food, and other prices have increased to make it harder for the average person working in blue collar to live. The Bush, administration isnt even talking about all the alaskan oil, and that Utah, Wy, Idaho, has more oil reserve than all the middle east. ??? Bunch of Liars